Time to Get Busy
pics from work in tappan lake
Here it is the
end of January and although I have spent quite of bit time inside, still I haven’t
been writing much, at least on here. On Facebook it has been business as usual,
at times I write quite a bit in response to a fb post , but most of the time I spend
reading and posting those things I feel are relevant to my life. I share with
others and they seem to like what I pick and may not always see to my point of
view. But then again we wouldn’t need 32 different kinds of cars if everyone
felt the same way. One would surely do to please all, but this isn’t usually
the case.
But in the
process of writing here lately I have found myself getting real sloppy in my English
usage. Catching myself in the, their, there usage trap and always trying to
decide if I am using the right two, to , too , usage based on my sentence. Also
misspelling quite a bit, I just wonder if it is because I am getting sloppy or
forgetful, or maybe too much of a hurry. I guess it may also to be attributed
to being too lax in my writing effort. I have started and never finished quite
a few blogs, and their relevancy now is dated , but still I never posted I guess
because I just didn’t like the way they sounded.
pics taken from work in tappan lake (working on a sunday)
So today mom and
I managed to get out and enjoy a long ride to no particular place in mind when
we left, but soon had a cup of coffee and an agreed destination in mind. We drove
south through Carrollton and further south to Scio and then over the hill from Scio
to Tappan lake. Most of this trip was to see how the landscape is being
transformed from the installation of oil wells and gas, lines and a new
processing plant that converts natural gas collected from the oil wells and
transported through the gas lines to the facility just outside of Scio for
processing into lp gas that will be shipped to the Ohio river and down the Mississippi
to New Orleans to be placed on a ship for transportation to China or at least
that is the story i have heard.
We passed
numerous oil well sites in Harrison County around Tappan and Clendenning lake
region. Also in the Tappan Lake we noticed a flurry of activity in an area
where the water had been drawed down to for winter storage and to make room for
spring rains. It looked as though the oil well companies or pipeline companies
were in the process of removing a substantial amount of sedimentation in the
upper regions of the lake. This is on the road to the marina and swimming area
where camping is usually going on in the winter. My best guess is that one reason
they were removing such large amounts of sedimentation was to make room for
more water to use in their fracking operations as I have seen that Muskingum Watershed
Conservancy District they had an agreement
with one of the oil companies. Second reason I see is for installation of
another gas line across the bottom of the lake tying into more gas wells and
lines installed to the Scio processing facility.
Can’t say this is
bad or good, the gas lines are taking a pretty huge gouge out of the established
forests in the Harrison county area. As well, power lines bringing necessary
electric to power new facilities at Scio has also made a huge environmental impact.
in my opinion and after seeing all these right of ways being installed and
knowing they are not going to be too crazy about letting trees grow back, also
with new construction in other areas, our trees are really taking a hit statewide
when you consider all construction, as well look at all the utility companies
and their right of way clearing and also their mining activities where large expanses
of land are cleared and stripped for the coal to power our electric generators.
I feel an assessment of the number of mature trees needs to be done prior to
any project commencing and should be included in all plans to determine the
number of trees lost. The project can go head when there is a plan to replace
trees 2 for 1 in all projects. This can be on your own land or it can be on
rented land, but that area is to be set aside for twenty years before you can
cut any.
i think they call this a feller buncher as it actually wraps around a tree and then grabs it, holds it steady and then cuts it off at the base and then lays the tree on its side and removes the limbs by running it back and forth in those wheels and then cuts off the log to length
With global
warming and other factors affecting our climate and the air we breathe, I think
it is important to reverse this trend of stripping our forests from our state. If
cost is a consideration in this policy of replacing trees, we have to look at
what deforestation of Ohio has cost us in lost resources back to the beginning
of the industrial revolution. We have nothing but second growth forests and
these are on a 20 year cycle of harvesting. The trees are not nearly as big as
they once were with some varieties like the elm dying out along with the American
chestnut. Look at all of the stripping that has been done and even though they
have to reclaim land it is not being placed back into trees like it once was. This
leads to increased flooding concerns as forests tend to soak up rainfall a lot
quicker than open fields with sparse vegetation as we have in reclaimed strip
mine lands.
other logging equipment in tappen lake marina area where they harvesting timber.
If cost is a factor
then that should be a factor in determining whether a project is really worth
it, it will force capitalists to invest in property that is bare or already
developed and replant with trees. Land that is already developed would be
excluded except for the 2 for 1 would still be in effect for any tree taken down
or removed from the property, no assessment is needed to plant trees. Although the
soil and water conservation district must certify the location to prevent
harvesting of timber in the 20 year time frame it is supposed to remain as a an
improved forest. This is all do-able from the standpoint of implementation.
We have
conservationists in the soil and water conservation districts that could oversee
any plans and inspect to assure that the goals are being met. It will increase
employment opportunities for field crews to plant trees and establish preserves.
All this work could be a tax incentive allowing companies to offset the cost of
planting and creating forests for future use. Plans still have to approved
before doing any work , and in these plans they must have a replanting schedule
indicating where they plant to plant trees to replace those taken out, when the
work will commence, and it must commence within six months of plan approval to
give time for a fall or spring planting for optimal growth. Also all forest plots need
to be recognized by signage and a warning to not cut any trees from that plot. A
fine should be assessed for early removal equal to the value of the trees
taken.
i told them to smile i was going to take their picture , they just looked at me like i was the dumbass
The end result of
these actions will have beneficial advantages beyond saving trees. It will help
replace habitat for species that are being driven out of their natural homes. It
should help slow the growth and make those capitalists who feel they need a
project to survive, to be more responsible for the environmental consequences
of a project beyond current regulations. It will help increase our reserve of
forests and make Ohio a leader in reducing our co2 by locking it into wood as
it once was before the industrial revolution. It will provide jobs for
replanting efforts, and will make marginal land an option for replanting as in
the case of reclaimed strip mine land. The forest habitat will also reduce soil
loss, and the decaying organic matter will hold water reducing the likelihood
of drought consequences as opposed to low quality reclaimed strip mine land. The
likelihood of flash floods would be reduced also as the trees roots would lock
and impede the straight flow of rainwater down a steep slope.
There are many
advantages to the 2 for 1 rule in reducing our destruction of forests and it
would also increase our replanting of lost forest reserves for a positive effect.
Those seeking projects where tree destruction is inevitable will surely
conserve on their space requirements but in the end will oppose strongly
against the rule. Yet they are the ones that in most cases are the ones most
responsible for forest destruction. This will only make them responsible from
here on out.
Gooser is still
doing fine and appears to be using his leg more. I doubt if he will ever return
to what he once as but have plans to keep him in an enclosed shelter to protect
him from hurting his leg again. He just isn’t very good at flying and not being
able to run around like he did will make him fatter. Not a great life but
better than coyote bait. Hopefully if he gets outside he can call the ducks up
to visit him. He hears them at times and his barking can be heard through the
house as he calls out to them. Everything else is going good on the farm. Working
with my nephew selling some wood and also trying to accumulate logs for my
house, and trying to get a band saw going are just a few things I have been
working on. Hard to do much outside with this cold, but hopefully the worse is
over. I think this will go down as a too mild winter.
